Janice R. Andrews
Leader of the Commons and former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt has issued a strong warning, saying she feels Britain’s national interests are in danger unless the Royal Navy can match the military might of countries such as China and Russia. The declaration coincides with current Defence Secretary Grant Shapps’s refusal to commit to a deadline for reaching military budget goals.
Mordaunt emphasised the need for the Royal Navy to modernise and grow in view of the escalating threats facing the world, drawing attention to the UK navy’s declining size. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering retiring two ships to free up sailors for a new fleet of frigates due to a severe shortage of recruits.
In 1960, the Royal Navy had 232 ships, including eight aircraft carriers; by 2022, that number had dropped to just 30 ships, even with the recent arrival of two more aircraft carriers. Concerns regarding the UK’s capacity to protect its interests on the international scene have been raised by this trend.
Mordaunt’s intervention indicates growing divisions over defence spending inside the Cabinet, particularly with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt gearing up to present the Budget in March. Although Grant Shapps has previously argued that defence spending should rise to three percent of GDP, it is still unclear when the UK will achieve the desired 2.5 percent of GDP.
Russia and China:
Honorary commander in the Royal Navy Reserve Mordaunt tweeted, “The Royal Navy and its partners must keep pace with the growing capabilities of other nations,” highlighting the seriousness of the situation. Britain’s interests cannot be protected otherwise.”
Grant Shapps defended the government’s position, saying that defence spending is safely above the NATO guideline of 2 percent of GDP, in response to Mordaunt’s worries. He did not, however, have a precise timeline for hitting the 2.5 percent goal, citing the state of the economy as a deciding factor.
In the ‘pre-war world’:
This event follows Shapps’ recent claim that the UK is moving towards a “pre-war world,” highlighting the necessity of higher defence spending in the West. Perceived as an appeal for more financing, the address listed the growing dangers from terrorist organisations and nations including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
The army’s declining size continues to be a source of concern as tensions over defence objectives rise. Lord Dannatt, a former chief of staff, cautioned that the army has shrunk from 102,000 in 2006 to 74,000, citing historical analogies and the possibility of history repeating itself. But Shapps guaranteed that the army strength, including reserves, would not go below 73,000 under the Tories.
